Haltija
Haltija are a sort of elemental, a protective nature "spirit" whose name comes from Finland. In other languages, they are known as brownies, house elves, sprites, gnomes, tomte, and certain kinds of vættir. They form as the physical manifestation of the spirit or essence of a thing, whether a mountain, forest, tree, rock, river, farm, storm cloud, house, a sauna, or even a sword. As manifestations of nature, they usually protect a place, but sometimes are the spirit of objects, groups of people, or even an intangible concept (such as sleep or death). Haltija Creation As manifestations of nature, Haltija come into being over time as the magics of a landscape coalesce into a sentient form. Because a haltija’s lifespan is dependent on the life/object it guards, they do not have a usual biological lifecycle. Instead, a haltija is believed to be “recycled” rather than killed or born. For example, if a tree is cut down to make a house, then the haltija of that tree might become the haltija of the house. As energy is never really created or destroyed, this cycle has withstood, and will continue to withstand, the test of time. Appearance A haltija’s features depend largely on its “folk” or type, which is called väki. Haltija are generally humanoid, but haltija can be distinguished by their fantastical eye, hair, lip color, teeth, ear shape, stature, skin texture, and skin tone. Additionally, it is believed by many that haltija can manipulate their appearance at will, and often change it based on emotions or necessity. Types, or Väki The väki of a haltija is a description of it's or type, particularly what it is manifested of and thus protects. Väki roughly translates to "magical-power folk," and is used to describe what kind or what powers a Haltija has. Some of the most common väkis: * House: a type of house elf or brownie who takes care of a house. ** Land plots: the tonttu or tomte, they are manifestations of that particular plot of land. * Forest (metsän väki): manifested a grove, treestand, or large area of forest. ** Wood (puun väki): manifested of individual trees, they embody that wood even after it is cut and turned into another item, such as a wagon, table, house, or even a baseball bat. * Water (veden väki): whether the sea, a river, a lake, or even a spring or well. As water can both sicken and heal, they often have powers of healing and illness. * Death (kalman väki): graveyards and barrows and crypts, but also ghosts, ancestors, and illness. * Fire (tulen väki): campfires, ovens, hearths, wildfires, volcanic fire, fireworks, the sun, a warm breeze, and even the warmth of a sauna. They can embody both the destructive forces of flame, and the healing power of warm air. * Mountain (vuoren väki): cliffs, canyons, mountains, hills, and large stones. They often have earth magic, and have sometimes been mistaken for kobolds, gnomes, and dwarves. * Iron (raudan väki): of metal mines and what is crafted from them, whether armor, scissors, or utensils. They are often known to be the spirit of a bladed weapon (sword, axe) and can heal wounds their item inflicts. They are invaluable in hospitals for surgery. * People: whether protecting a certain lineage, family, or an entire village, these act as guardian spirits. Food It is unnecessary for a haltija to eat, but they enjoy offerings left to them by humans on occasion. Interactions with Magical Society Haltija are usually afforded respect and gratitude, but are largely overlooked in day to day life. They tend to be uninvolved and unseen, simply existing as the spirit of the object or place, until angered or something directly threatens what they protect. While some nonmagical cultures revere them and honor them for the powers they have, those powers are no different than what a mage can do, so they are usually just a being that mothers tell their children to be respectful to. Haltija are usually kind, proud, and fiercely loyal. They usually prefer to work unnoticed, but that does not mean some simple respect and gratitude will go amiss. They are hardworking and have a strong sense of responsibility to their stewardship of whatever they protect, and can be spiteful or violent if disrespected. These retributions may come in the form of malicious pranks, accidents, theft, illness, or telekinetic attack, as though done by a ghost. Occasionally, fights between different väki have resulted in natural disasters such as wildfires (fire vs forest väki) and tsunamis (water vs land väki), though such disasters can also occur due to other reasons such as rifts between realms and a magical mishap among humankind or other species. Abilities Haltija's powers are based on their väki. In addition to these elemental or item-related powers, all Haltija have a knack for invisibility and stealth, preferring to operate unnoticed, as well as their ability to change their appearance. Telekinesis is a relatively common ability, though not all haltija are skilled in it. Rarely, some are able to communicate with people through dreams. Suggested combat spells As Haltija powers vary based on their väki, select spells that seem in line for your chosen type. * Elemental attacks and control spells to match the väki (such as water whip for a water haltija) * Healing abilities for those of water, fire, or iron * Protective spells (ex: deflection or buddy shield) for those who protect a person ** Large-area protective spells for those who protect a landscape or community (ex: mass shield) * Kinetic spells: Knockback (2), Telekinetic Slam (3), Telekinetic Weapon (4) as needed * Battle Pet for those that protect farms, gardens, or wildlife habitats * Invisibility type spells: Blur (2), Sanctuary (4) * Shapeshifting, particularly for heavily elemental väki (such as a fire haltija turning into fire) Part Haltija Extremely rare but not impossible; most haltija view intimate relationships to be an ethical failure and a lapse in their duty as guardian. Appearance A human-haltija hybrid tends to exhibit more characteristics of its human parent. However, a single or combination of minor aspects can reveal themselves as they age, usually in the eyes, voice, hair, fingernails, teeth or lips. These aspects depend of the väki of their haltija parent, and thus vary largely in severity. Food Part-haltija eat the same diets as their human kin. In Magical Society They may face some discrimination for their differences as nonhumans, but will largely be ignored unless they cause trouble. Unfortunately, in most cases, part-haltija are rather magically unstable, and as they grow up, the mishaps, confusion, and fear of being different can cause emotional instability as well. Most governments view them as potentially dangerous and susceptible to violence, and places like the Ministry seek to contain or control them. Abilities and Väki The powers of a part-haltija depend largely on the abilities of its parents, especially that of its human parent. If the human parent is nonmagical, the hybrid will likely exhibit no signs of magical abilities, regardless of the powers of its haltija parent. However, if the human parent is a mage, the hybrid will be magical as well, and sometimes inherits the same affinities of its haltija parent. These magics are often unstable, like that of an Arcane, and part-haltija children particularly struggle to gain control of their magics, with emotional outbursts resulting in often destructive consequences. It is theoretically possible for a part-haltija to learn control of their powers, but it is theorized that such takes time, reassurance, and a safe place where the emotional toil of any accidents does not destroy them psychologically and cause them to become violently aggressive. Suggested Combat Spells A part-haltija's powers vary widely. Most have an affinity matching the väki of their haltija lineage, but not always. If you choose to follow the väki, select spells that seem in line for your chosen type. * Elemental attacks and control spells to match the väki (such as water whip for a water haltija) * Healing abilities for those of water, fire, or iron * Protective spells (ex: deflection or buddy shield) for those who protected a person ** Large-area protective spells for those who protected a landscape or community (ex: mass shield) * Kinetic spells: Knockback (2), Telekinetic Slam (3), Telekinetic Weapon (4) * Battle Pet for those that protected farms, gardens, or wildlife habitats * Invisibility type spells: Blur (2), Sanctuary (4) * Shapeshifting, particularly for heavily elemental väki (such as a fire haltija turning into fire) Category:Species